Day 3 (August 9, 2022): Paradise found!

Visiting Zion National Park has been a long-time dream.  Today was the day!  To  beat the crowds, we were up before 6 and after breakfast, headed out at 7:15 to get the town’s shuttle to the National Park Visitor Center.  We ended up having to wait until the Visitor Center opened at 8AM to purchase our Parks pass.  And then we boarded the Zion shuttle for a 9-stop / 40-minute ride to the end of Zion Canyon Scenic Drive. 

There are so many trails to do in the Canyon, ranging from easy to strenuous.  We choose some short walks that provided a good overview of the Park, and we share our photos of those walks with you below.

By midday, we had four walks behind us and ended up at the Park’s museum, which outlines the human experience with the Park since it opened in 1919.  

By 1:30PM, we were back at the hotel for some lunch and a rest, before hanging out at the hotel’s pool for some R&R. A late afternoon ice cream overlooking the mountains and a dinner at one of Srpingdale’s busy cafes rounded out our day. 

The nine stops of the Zion Park Shuttle through Zion Canyon Scenic Drive.  We went directly to the last stop and worked our way back. Definitely the right approach to have taken.

Springdale lies between two mountain ranges that line the walls of the Zion Canyon.  Can you imagine waking up in your home and seeing mountains like this out your front window and in your back yard?

And we are off! Entering Zion at 7:30AM to start our day!

While it ended up reaching 32C this afternoon, it was actually chilly when we set out from the hotel at 7:15AM.  Before 8:30AM, the sun isn’t high enough to bring warmth to the Canyon.

The last stop on the Shuttle line is Temple of Shinawava.  A 3.5km round trip walk along the Virgin River was our introduction to Zion’s trails.

At the end of the river walk, the bravest hikers continue on by walking through the river to the Park’s most famous and strenuous trail:  The Narrows. It’s a route that requires a lot of attention to the weather, as rainstorms conform quickly in these parts, and flash flooding is a major danger.

On the banks of the Virgin River.  In less-dry times, a waterfall pours down over the rock face behind Pam.

A tough walk leads to the top of this mountain, called Angel’s Landing.

Zion is known for the contrasting colours of its mountains.  The white mountain above is known as The Great White Throne.

Weeping Rock.

Three encounter with deer during our walks today.

Waterfall on the Virgin River.

Every peak has a name, such as the Bees Nest - the white peak in the middle of the photo above.

In 2000, Zion instituted a shuttle system to take the Park’s 5 million visitors up the Zion Canyon Scenic Drive.  It runs every few minutes.

We enjoyed our afternoon pool-side at our hotel.

Our evening ice cream, with a million-dollar view.

The Holiday Inn Express Springdale, where we are staying. Our room looks out on the mountain behind the hotel.

Just to show the contrasting colours that quickly come about.  Above is a peak as seen from Springdale at 5:30PM. Below is a peak as seen from Springdale three hours later as the sun was setting.

And another example of the effects of light and cloud on the mountains:  this is a view of a mountain near our hotel at sunrise, during a late afternoon thundershower, and again at dusk.